Collapsible barricade for streets and highways



June 4, 1963 c. E. KLINGNER 3,092,826

coLLAPsIBLE BARRICADE FOR STREETS AND HIGHWAYS Filed April 2l, 1958 United States Patent() 3,092,826 COLLAPSIBLE BARRICADE FOR STREETS AND HIGHWAYS Carl E. Klingner, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Warning Lites, Inc.,` Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Apr. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 729,613 Claims. (C1. 340-366) This invention relates to a barricade particularly Aconstructed to permit compact shipping thereof and to include a complete flashing signal light system mounted thereon.

t Many barricades have been invented in the past but where'these have been collapsible, they have been relatively dicult to assemble and have not been suiiciently strong to protect ythe asher systems incorporated therewith.

lt is an object of my present invention to provide a ilasher signal type barricade which provides protection for the flasher units and which can be quickly and easily set up from a relatively compact collapsed unit.

It is still another object to provide a collapsible ashing signal type barricade wherein the asher elements may be `quickly and securely anchored to the top of the barricade by mea-ns of a highly stable protective supporting and mounting structure designed to prevent damage to the light elements upon impact of a vehicle with the barricade and wherein the guard and light assembly is quickly interchangeable for repairs, or change in the type of signal units.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more `fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to `the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled barn'cade embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional View through the barricade shown 'in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view through said barricade.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I show a barricade assembly having a pair of upwardly con-verging side panels 5, a top panel 6, a pair of end panels 7 and 8 respectively and a removable bottom panel 9. A pair of strap lbrackets 7a and 8a are provided on each end -for attaching signs, flags and crossbars as desired.

A pair of downwardly diverging legs are provided at each end of the barricade and are swingably connected at their upper ends to the inside of the respective side panels as by pivot bolts 10a. A pair of spring clips 11 are respectively mounted on intermediate portions of the inside of said side panels for holding and supporting intermediate portions of the bottom panel 9 as shown i-n FIG. 2. The end corners of the bottom panel 9 are slightly cut out to accommodate the anges of legs 10 and securely hold said legs in engagement with the end and side panels of the main body of the barricade as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 'Ille end panel l8 has an inwardly Iturned llange 8b above which the panel 9 is mounted as shown in FIG. 2, and the other end of said bottom panel 9 is anchored by means of a nut and bolt assembly 12 `as illustrated. The corner portions of the bottom combine with the .bolts 10a to securely hold the legs in operative position as shown in FIG. 1. The legs are, of course, swung upwardly into the main body of fthe barricade as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 2 when the bottom has been removed.

The signal light units themselves are also stored within the body for shipping and the bottom 9 contines and completely encloses the unit when in collapsed position. 'I'hese signal elements have a ianged mounting and sta- Patented June 4, 1963 bilizing bracket 13 which engages the top panel 6 of the barricade body and the two flanges 13a of each of the brackets .13 engage -t-he downwardly divergent side panels 5 as illustrated. Y

An electric light element 14 has a pair of light transmitting lenses 14a rto permit the warning signal to be visibly transmitted therethrough and ya light source such as an electric light bulb is Iconfined therewithin. A guard form 15 protects the light unit 14 and is securely anchored tothe flanged bracket 13 as shown. A mounting stem having a .threaded lower portion 16 is connected with the light unit 14 in iixed relation thereto and has an anchoring -nut 16a securely holding said stem and light unit in place on the top of the barricade. The protective frame 15 is designed to permit rotation of the light unit through an arc of more than is accomplished by providing two guard elements diagonally opposed to yeach other which are spaced suiciently far apart to permit the light to be rotated therethrough; however, the other pair of guard elements illustrated is suiiciently close together to engage the outer portion of the light unit 14 and lthus limit rotation thereof to less than The stem 16 and nut 16a securely clamp the flanged bracket 13 down against the top of the barricade and the flanges 13a positively prevent rotation of the bracket and guard assembly with respect to the barricade body.

-A source of electricity is provided within the hollow body portion such as the battery 17 which is mounted in a suitable bracket 18 carried by the bottom panel 9 and a flasher unit 19 is mounted within the body as by a bracket 20 Ito intermittently energize the electric light signal elements .Within the unit 14. Any suitable asher may be used for this purpose Ibut preferably a asher which will require electric energy only during the brief periods when the light elements are energized, thus extending -the life of the battery.

It will be seen that I have provided a highly ingenious barricade assembly which is particularly designed rto permit compact shipping and storage thereof but which can be quickly and easily assembled into a stable, extremely strong and durable assembly which is designed to protect the asher light system even on relatively severe impact.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and pro'- portions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter described herein and set forth in the appended claims.

What -I claim is:

I1. A barricade assembly comprising -a mounting panel, supporting legs connected to said mounting panel, an elongated flanged mounting bracket mounted on said mounting panel with the flanges thereof engaging the mounting panel :to prevent rotation of the mounting bracket thereon, -a light unit carried by said mounting bracket having a stem extending through said bracket and through said panel to form the sole means for lat- -taching lthe unit to the panel, and means for removably anchoring said stem to said panel.

.2. The structure set forth in claim l, yand Ia guard assembly rigidly mounted on said bracket and being disposed in close association to said light unit to limit rotation lthereof on the axis of said stem.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2, and said panel having depending side walls to define a hollow body, a removable bottom panel on said body, and said legs being pivotally connected to said body in spaced relation above the bottom panel and constructed and arranged to be received within the body when swung into retracted position on said pivot and extending downwardly from said body when in operative position, said bottom engaging said legs below the pivot points thereof to securely hold the legs in operative position.

4. The structure set forth in claim 2, and an electric asher system with -all of the components thereof being housed and completely enclosed within said hollow body and connected with said light unit for intermittently energizing the same.

5. A barricade assembly comprising a hollow body with downwardly divergent side panels vand a bottom panel forming 'an enclosure therewith, a pair of elongatedv legs pivotally'mounted at the ends of said side panels adjacent they inside surface thereof and swingable upwardly tinto retracted position and downwardly into operative position, said bottom panel having leg receiving cut-away portions of a similar shape to the cross-sectional shape of the surrounded portion ofwthe legs to combine with the pivotal mounting Iof said legs and hold the same in rigid operative position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

5. A BARRICADE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY WITH DOWNWARDLY DIVERGENT SIDE PANELS AND A BOTTOM PANEL FORMING AN ENCLOSURE THEREWITH, A PAIR OF ELONGATED LEGS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THE ENDS OF SAID SIDE PANELS ADJACENT THE INSIDE SURFACE THEREOF AND SWINGABLE UPWARDLY INTO RETRACTED POSITION AND DOWNWARDLY INTO OPERATIVE POSITION, SAID BOTTOM PANEL HAVING LEG RECEIVING CUT-AWAY PORTIONS OF A SIMILAR SHAPE TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE OF THE SURROUNDED PORTION OF THE LEGS TO COMBINE WITH THE PIVOTAL MOUNTING OF SAID LEGS AND HOLD THE SAME IN RIGID OPERATIVE POSITION. 